The 80 South Street site in Manhattan, New York, where famous architect, Santiago Calatrava, proposed to build the "Sky Cube" in 2008 will instead see a new "garden skyscraper," designed by a local firm, Morali Architects.
Plans of the Sky cube were laid to rest due to a credit crisis. Cord Meyer Development, owner of the site, has now decided to build the garden skyscraper.
Renderings of the proposed design of the tower at 80 South Street reveal that the building will take up around 300,000 square feet and will be around 998 feet high with 70 stories. The added feature: 3000 square feet gardens each with its own urban farm on every tenth floor. The building will also have rooftop gardens for the residents, reports Inhabitat New York.
The tower will be a mixed use building with hotels at its base and condominiums in the upper area. The Moralis' design has some similarities to Calatrava's cubic segmented design. However, the architecture is more focused on nature. Located near the south of East River, the design of the building is inspired by the waves and angles of water's surface, reports Green Buildings NYC.
In an Interview with New York YIMBY, Antony Morali, chief architect of Morali, said that the design has been created keeping in mind the effect of Hurricane Sandy.
"Well the Federal Government raised the base sea level elevation-they call it the BFE-I mean, we were already at about four feet above ground. But for any habitable space, I think it's going to go up to about eight or nine feet, so no habitable space can be below that at the Seaport. So basically what we're doing is raising the level of our city." Morali said in the interview.
He also added that the building's plans were moving along well and the 'rough deadline' is 2016. However, he was not very certain of the completion date.
The design has not yet been approved by the Department of Buildings. The planners, developers and architects are in constant touch with the department and are hopeful of acquiring certifications on the air rights that they have purchased from the neighboring buildings, reports New York Observer.
